Star Fox: The Last Chance
by StallionWolf
Summary: Krystal's actions out of spite after the Anglar War destroys Fox emotionally. He has nothing left. Taking a chance that risks Death, he finds a new life. Now...Krystal seeks her true love, Fox McCloud; seeking repentance and forgiveness for her selfish actions. Does Fox still exist? Or has he been completely replaced by Spartan B312
1. Missing In Action

**Star Fox: The Last Chance**

 _ **Missing In Action**_

Fox stared forward at one of the Warp Sones; a trail of dimensional wormhole openings that lead to a Faster Than Light wormhole that allow ships to bypass sections of Lylat quickly. The two "known" Warp Zones were relatively unknown in how they worked; the only thing pilots and scientists knew so far was how to use them. In another time, Fox might have willingly led scientists here as a mission.

Yet, none of this mattered to Fox, as Krystal didn't love him. When they had been dating, that had been the happiest he had ever been since before his parents were killed. Then, she had been shot down over Titania and she had been badly injured. He had been afraid of losing her, and told her she was off _active_ Roster until the Anglars were dealt with. To him; Krystal's safety was more important than his own.

She didn't take it well.

She had yelled at him, calling him many mean things, and stormed off; joining the outlaw gang known as Star Wolf to spite him. "The Krystal you knew is dead." She had told him in a haughty tone he had never heard her speak.

Slippy, his Fiancee Amanda, and even Falco were worried about Fox. They had never seen him this...low...even after his father-the last living family member he had at the time-was killed because of Pigma's betrayal. "I'm leaving to go back to Panther and the rest of Star Wolf" were the last words he had heard from Krystal before he saw her CloudRunner Arwing vanish around the curve of the planet. Then, he got a communication message from Panther Caruso of Star Wolf telling him they were planning the wedding already. Fox just stared forward and closed his eyes, as he fought back tears.

* * *

At Corneria, Krystal gave an almost evil grin as her plan was working perfectly. Fox needed to step up his romance levels to win her back! Her CloudRunner had taken advantage of Corneria's curve to vanish out of sight before reentering atmosphere and it came to a stop behind the house Fox McCloud used when his team was off duty. Taking the key McCloud stupidly never made her give back-even after revealing herself to be a member of an outlaw Mercenary Squadron-she opened the door after parking and locking the CloudRunner and shut the door behind her.

To be honest, she never liked Panther, but he had his uses. Panther's mind was too driven by lust-and his annoying tendency to speak in third person and innuendos, while Fox's mind had been pure affection...Krystal shook her head, this plan was to make McCloud work for her-to to reminisce about better times. Part one of her plan; use Panther to make Fox jealous, had worked perfectly. She knew McCloud would eventually come back. She would simply say things between her and Panther didn't work out, and make him sweat and work at making things up to her.

Yet, a little voice in the back of her mind was telling her she was wrong; that she was going to far and becoming a bad person in this situation. Fox's only crime was loving and caring for her-desperate to keep her safe as the others were away. Star Fox had been down to only Fox and Krystal'; Slippy had been preparing to settle down on Aquas with his Fiancee and Falco had been helping Fox with the Great Fox II's incomes by taking solo jobs. That had been when the Anglars had attacked across Lylat; further keeping the team apart.

Krystal squashed that thought viciously. She knew McCloud's habits. He would return, and her plan would go into action.

Not once since the moment he had told her she was off the _active_ roster had she used her telepathy.

* * *

Fox entered the wormhole, sad eyes watching the colors swirl around the Arwing II. As he flew along, he remembered some clean up jobs Star Fox had taken after the Lylat Wars when Andross was destroyed-for the first time. When he had seen his father fight against Andross to help Fox land the killing blow.

"You've become so strong, Fox." Were the last words he ever heard from James McCloud.

After that, Star Fox used these wormholes to chase retreating Venom forces.

"You're wrong dad." Fox said. Nothing about his past...or future mattered. Krystal didn't love him. He was utterly alone, as he deserved to be. He wasn't anything special; a skilled mercenary and pilot who somehow became a celebrity. Then...a thought entered his mind. What would happen if he tried using a Warp Gate inside the Wormhole? he had one recently installed in the Arwing II. They were mostly used on Orbital Stations and Capital Ships due to how much power they used. Having his single person fighter generate one could tear it apart within the strain of the Wormhole.

Still, the thought of Death didn't terrify him as much as a future that would be spent utterly alone. With a button, the green Warp Circle generated in front of him, before it went crazy and turned blue, enclosing around his Arwing II and vanishing in what sounded like thunder...leaving the Arwing II's wings and one of it's G-Diffusers behind floating in the wormhole.

That blue explosion appeared in a blue sky of a planet as the damaged Arwing II was spat out of it and it plummeted as gravity took a hold of it. Alarms blared in the Arwing II's cockpit as the damage report flashed on the screen. He had 35% power left. The ship had lost both wings and the right G-Diffuser system. His life support system was taking up 15% of the available power; the engine was mostly burned off, and whatever process happened to the Warp Gate had disabled and mangled the weapons systems. The planet he was crashing towards was green and blue and somewhat looked similar to Corneria; and his sensors said it was the third planet in orbit around its sun. Flames licked the Arwing II's metal plating as it's speed increased. Finally, Fox saw the atmosphere readout. It was very similar to Corneria.

This planet...it almost looked peaceful within its atmosphere, and he let go of the control stick within the cockpit. He hadn't expected to survive this long, so might as well see what was going to happen if he escaped. His ship spun out of control and slammed into the water. Fox kicked open the cockpit and watched his Arwing II sink below the water as he swallowed a mouthful of salty sea water. Fox swam a good distance until he laid against the sandy shores and stared at the sky.

"FREEZE ALIEN SCUM!" A voice shouted out, and Fox turned to see a small group of black armored soldiers holding various projectile-firing guns pointed at him. "We don't know how you got here Covenant Scum, but the ODST are here to kick you off this rock!" That figure holding the pistol said, unlocking the safety on it with a loud click.

Fox may not know that language, but the Translation software Slippy had sent his wrist communicator during the Sauria Crisis was still working. "I...Don't know...anything about...Covenant..." Fox panted out as he stared at the figure holding the pistol at his head with dead eyes while trying to find the right words in the man's language, "Kill me..." Fox said, closing his eyes and accepting his face.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" A man shouted that looked like a furless ape said, and Fox opened his eyes as a man in regular green military armor with a few black strikes and a strange triangular black and white logo with the letters "ONI" by the logo said, "He may be just what we need."

"But sir...he isn't human." The ODST said, keeping the pistol pointed on Fox.

"I can tell the look of a person who lost everything." The strange man with the ONI logo said, "And we need people like him if humanity is to have a chance to survive. The Covenant just want to kill us off because of their religion." Fox growled at that, making the man smile as the ODST pressed the pistol hard against Fox's head. "That is the type of person who would be in a certain military group." The gun twitched and lowered as the ODST stared at Fox. The man held out a hand to Fox, who was staring at him in shock. "What if I told you that you could have a new purpose...a new life. By any chance, have you heard of the SPARTAN 3 program?"

Fox glanced at the ground before he placed his hand in the man's.

* * *

At Corneria Krystal was somewhat panicking. She had been cornered by Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Amanda (soon to be Toad), General Peppy Hare, and Fox's friends Fara, Miyu, Katt, and Fay. Not only that, but it had been two weeks since any communication came from Fox. "We're here." Peppy said, casting Krystal a scathing look, "Fox has been declared Missing In Action; most likely Killed In Action. Thus, we have nothing left to do but read his will."

"Fox had a will?! He was only 26!" Krystal said in shock with her eyes reddened from crying.

"He wrote one before the final assault on the Anglar Emperor." Peppy said, opening the paper and looking over the contents.

"The first thing he's done is leave Star Fox's leadership to you, Falco. On the condition that you actually help and accept help from others; learn from his mistake." Peppy said and Falco couldn't help but let a few tears roll down his cheeks with Katt rubbing his back. He wouldn't even deny that to save his reputation. His best friend was dead. "The Great Fox is left with ROB to the new Star Fox team."

"Slippy, he leaves you the Blue Marine replacement and the Landmaster. He knew how much you loved those vehicles and working on them." Slippy was openly crying with his Fiancee holding him as she cried.

"Fay, Miyu, Fara, he left you the second generation Arwings used in the Apparoid War, along with a large donation from his personal savings to help your personal businesses. " Peppy said.

"I...I'm not even going to read what I got and skip to the part we all want to know about. What he left Krystal." Peppy said, scanning the paper.

"Bah! Why are we even bothering with her?! It's her fault Fox is dead! If she hadn't been such a spiteful pain in the tail..." Falco said, glaring at her with sheer hatred.

Meanwhile, Krystal didn't respond; as her mind was repeating one phrase constantly, growing louder with each repeat.

You killed Fox.

You Killed Fox.

You Killed Fox!

YOU KILLED FOX!

 **YOU KILLED FOX!**

"Krystal. What he left you is in his room on the Great Fox." Peppy said in a solemn tone. He had read what Fox wrote...and yet, to the end, he never stopped Loving her. The blue vixen stood up and raced through the hallways of Fox's house as she jumped into the CloudRunner with tears stinging her eyes and flew as fast as she could into the hangar of the Great Fox II. She raced to Fox's room and pressed the pass code he had always used since they started dating. KRYSTAL.

His room was a complete mess; which was a shock to her; as his role as Star Fox's leader made him a meticulously neat person; even if only to know where everything was. Yet, there, on his bed, was her beloved staff. The only thing besides her tiara that was from her destroyed planet. She had thought it was destroyed when Peppy rammed James McCloud's Great Fox into the Apparoid Home World. Her staff hummed as she picked it up and let her tears fall on it, only for it's glowing portions to go dark.

"NO!" She screamed, opening her telepathy to her staff to try and show it she was the same Krystal as she was on Sauria...but, even without a mind, it could sense that wasn't true. It had gone dormant. The powers Fox had found for it on Sauria were now inaccessible to her. With her Telepathy open to the room, she was bombarded with Fox's emotions that had saturated the room. Love. Loss. Hopelessness. Sorrow. Anger. Regret. Each emotion stabbed deeper into her heart. Yet, the feelings of Regret, Sorrow, Loss, and Hopelessness increased around a drawer. Each emotion pounded her senses as she walked towards the drawer and pulled it open; only to sob loudly. A single, open velvet box with a golden engagement ring tipped by a diamond sat so innocently.

In Fox's unique handwriting were the words "Settle down with Krystal after the Anglar situation". Only then, the rest of the paper was soaked with tears and recently, in unsteady writing were the words "She doesn't love me." and "Panther said she's planning to marry him." Tears came to her eyes as she picked up the box and placed the ring on her left ring finger. For a moment, she saw Fox smiling at her, helping fit the ring on her finger as he smiled at her. He opened his mouth, and gave a sob of pure anguish before he vanished.

"He's alive..." Krystal said as she slid the ring off her finger and placed it back in the box. Then, she groaned as she saw her Star Wolf outfit; the one she specifically made to mock his usual appearance. She quickly tossed it off of her and grabbed the first things she could, her old Apparoid War outfit she had left in his room. A sad smile spread across her face as she remembered the times she gave him flirty poses and watched him stutter and lose his calm composure and become a cute, bashful version of himself. Still, it wasn't complete...she couldn't just pretend the horrible acts of spite she committed were wiped away. She needed a reminder.

Said reminder sat across the desk across from Fox's bed; his father's red scarf. She picked it up with an almost worshiping reverence as she tied it around her neck. She took a deep breath, inhaling Fox's scent that lingered on it. Her telepathy picked up on the others in the Great Fox II. Fara, Miyu, and Fay had left; and she could sense Falco's disbelief that Fox left the remainder of his savings to be divided among Star Fox.

Krystal then...picked up a faint signal, filled with sorrow. She ran out and pressed a few buttons on the Great Fox II's communication screen. There was a language she didn't understand; she worked on finding Slippy's translator on the controls. _"Lieutenant Fox J. McCloud. Spartan B-Three One Two."_ It finally translated the language to the one spoken on Sauria; a language she knew. _"Our victory...your victory...was so close...I wish you could have lived to see it. But you belonged to Reach. Your body...your armor...all burned and turned to Glass."_ She immediately shut down the signal and watched the data on the console. _Noble Team; Fall of Reach; 2552. Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy._

"I need Star fox whole again!" Krystal said as a few tears fell from her eyes, "Otherwise Fox is going to die!"

"Say no more!" Slippy said. Falco glared at her before he let out a loud "BAH!" And threw his arms in the air.

"I'm no good at the leadership stuff, I'm a better hotshot pilot than a leader." Falco said, "Let's get Fox back in his rightful role."

* * *

Fox stared at the silver visor of the Forest Green and Coral Orange ODST MJOLNIR Mark V armor with the CBRN/HUL attachment for hazardous environments; extended to fit over his head. He had a titanium nano-composite bodysuit covering from his neck all the ways to his toes; even covering his tail. His left wrist had a UA/BUCKLER attachment for added damage and protection on his left wrist, and his chest plate was a specialized Tactical/RECON system with six black pouches across his titanium Forest Green and Coral Orange MJOLNIR Mark V armor; with a large, sheathed Titanium combat knife strapped to the upper left side of his chest. His shoulder plates were unique; as his right shoulder was guarded by a RECON plate to allow full use of motion, and his left had a JFO armor plate that was designed to improve artillery request communication and coordination.

While the rest of his armor seemed pretty generic, except for the FJ/PARA class Knee guards; which were designed for airborne units; as it offered the maximum amount of protection with the minimum amount of weight. Within the passenger seat of the M831 Troop Transport Warthog jeep, Fox gazed forwards at the grassy fields surrounding the dirt road that stretched outwards. Making a quick check, he saw his M6 Magnum magnetically attached to his right leg and the Ma37 Assault Rifle magnetically locked to his back. Without a word or any emotion shown, he turned his helmet around and slid it back over his head.

Krystal's actions had destroyed Fox; his old life was gone. Now, he was reborn.

He was Spartan B Three One Two (B-312), Lieutenant in the United Nations Space Command. Danger level Hyper Lethal; matching the legendary Spartan II Master Chief Petty Officer John-117...

And he was being reassigned to this planet. He was now on Reach; home and birthplace of the SPARTAN program.


	2. Noble Actual

**Star Fox: The Last Chance**

 **Noble Actual**

The Krazoa Palace was on Sauria was as wet as Krystal remembered it to be; with constant rain pouring on it. She was here for a reason; find out from the Krazoa Spirits how to reach the planet Fox was on.

 _"Child of Cerinia, you should not have come back. Your actions have broken the Warrior of Peace."_ A powerful voice said as she saw the Krazoa Spirits surround her.

 _"Please! I regret everything I've done!"_ Krystal pleaded in Sauria's native language. _"If I don't find him, he will die! Please! He helped save this planet twice! Help me save him!"_

 _"Then your betrayal is complete."_ Was all the Spirits said before they vanished into the air. She fell to her knees and cried; her tears mixing with the rain. She didn't know how long she sat there in the rain; her blue flight suit soaking her to the bone as she kept Fox's scarf sheltered by her body to keep his scent from getting washed off.

"FINE! I will prevent his fall without your help!" She shouted in Lylat into the air where the Spirits had been. After she wiped away her tears, she turned and hopped into her CloudRunner and flew to Thorntail Hollow. If there was one place she would be welcomed enough to get help; it was Thorntail Hollow.

The Walled City was home of the EarthWalkers; lead by King Tricky...the same dinosaur that Fox helped during his adventure when he used her staff and freed her from the prison Andross held her in. If the Spirits told them of her actions, they would not help her. CloudRunner Fortress was also out for the same reason. Fox saved their Queen and her babies. They owed Fox more than her; she only got one of them to help investigate Krazoa Palace and then immediate got captured. Even when both Fox and Krystal worked on land to drive back the Apparoids, their debt to Fox outweighed their to her.

The same could be said for SnowHorn Wastes. She had never met that tribe, and Fox freed their leader and freed the tribe from imprisonment. ThornTails, on the other hand, were a mellow species. They just lived unassuming lives and generally stayed out of conflict. She landed and immediately went to work collecting Scarabs; their currency. She had to get enough just in case she had to bribe some of the inhabitants for information about Fox.

Falco, Peppy, Slippy, Amanda, and Katt were up in the Great Fox II working on scanning Lylat from their orbit around Sauria for any fluctuations. Meanwhile, Fara was using her position as a member in the Corneria Flight Academy to talk to members of the Cornerian Government. She had the Star Fox team in a long term "mission" looking for the MIA Fox McCloud-Hero of Lylat. Fay and Miyu were using the Apparoid War Arwings to take missions around Lylat for Corneria; keeping an ear out for any information on possible sightings of Fox.

General Pepper had recovered enough from his illness to take over for Peppy Hare while he personally helped on this mission. Pepper did owe Fox a lot for taking down Andross...multiple times now...as well as dealing with the Apparoids and Anglars. He could come out of retirement enough to let his replacement find the Hero of Lylat.

Those were the only people Star Fox allowed communication to. Falco had, in front of her, blocked the communication frequencies Star Wolf used after he asked her what they were. It was an act of spite; preventing her from calling the team she "joined" to get help...and she wouldn't have it any other way. If she heard Panther's voice again, it would be too soon. Panther's lust-fueled thoughts helped flame her anger that she used to spite Fox, as they sickened her. She was just a trophy; and she could sense she wouldn't be his only trophy. Panther often-at the drop of a hat-"fell in love"...it was just who he was; a playboy disguised as a romantic. She didn't know how many children Panther had that didn't know their father.

Fox on the other hand...

 _" I like the name Marcus." Fox had told her one day as they were cuddling, "Dad told me that if mom hadn't been killed by that Car bomb, that would have been my brother's name. That day...I lost both my mother and brother...the investigation team found out my mom was pregnant the day she was killed." She gently stroked the fur between his ears and whispered soothing promises into his ears as Krystal felt his emotions plummet into grief and sorrow. "I'd like my son to be named Marcus...in honor of the brother I never got to meet."_

 _"What about Fox Jr.?" Krystal teased, smiling as his ears twitched in embarrassment as his tail stiffened and his face heated up. He was just so cute when he was flustered!_

 _"Fox can be his middle name." Fox finally said, "My middle name is the same name as my dad; James."_

 _"Marcus Fox McCloud. It has a ring to it." Krystal said._

Fox had been very hopeful of having a family one day. He had always been flustered easily by women when he was outside of his "mission mindset". For a period of his life, he had dedicated himself to avenging his family's death by Andross's hands. Any female he met during this period of his life; such as Fay, Miyu, and Fara, had become surrogate "sisters" to him. Then...he just drifted after Andross was defeated. Once the clean up jobs dried up...he could finally focus on potentially on settling down. Then he got his mission to Sauria...and saved her.

She was the only woman who could make him flustered, even in his "mission mindset". Krystal mused to herself with a sad grin at those happy memories she may never get to reenact again. She then stumbled with a loud yelp as she barely caught herself from falling into a well within the ThornTail Shop; the 20 Scarabs she collected falling down into the abyss.

"Note to self; never reminisce of better times while walking." Krystal said to herself. As she climbed out, a golden stone with the image of the warp stone was shot out of the well and landed at her feet. With an embarrassed grin to the Shopkeeper, she picked up the strange stone and quickly moved out of the building and to the warp stone.

The gigantic, sentient rock creature stared at her with a piercing gaze before it dropped to the stone she carried. "Ah, so you got a Warp Maze Token." It said in it's booming, accented voice, lifting itself enough to show a stairway under it leading into a tunnel. "Go, those tokens carry messages one needs to hear." With a quick "Thank you", she darted down the tunnel, stumbling a few times until she dropped into a maze. She twisted and turned, letting her senses guide her around dead ends and obstacles until she came to a well matching the one she nearly fell into.

"Where is Fox?" She said, dropping the token into the well. For a few seconds, nothing happened, before she heard the voice of her mother whisper in her ear.

"You are meant to be together. It was your destiny. Together as one, you will bring peace." Krystal's ears twitched as she took in this message. Taking out the engagement ring from a pouch she attached to her flight suit, she stared at it, seeing herself in a white dress as Fox stood across from her in a tuxedo. She shook her head and was teleported out of the maze after putting the ring back into her pouch.

"Yo, miss Pain in the Tail, come in." Falco's voice came through her communicator.

"I'm here." Krystal said, accepting the name Falco called her. She knew he wouldn't call her by name or his old nickname until Fox was back.

"Just got some information here. There was an old signal of a Warp Gate activation within the Warp Zone wormhole. That had to be Fox." Falco said. Krystal's eyes nearly brimmed with tears, "He may have died though." Falco whispered, "Non capital ships can't take the strain."

"He's alive." Krystal said, "He has to be..."

* * *

B312 saw the small outpost getting closer and closer. Two UH-144 Falcons were flying overhead, on either side of the Warthog he was in. Both of these Falcons were modified to have their rear transport hatch turrets removed. The Warthog skidded to a stop behind another modified Falcon close to the building and Spartan B312 jumped out and walked forward, touching one of the Tail Fins as a Spartan with his helmet off, revealing a faint tattoo of a clenched fist holding arrows on the left side of his head, loaded a sniper rifle. Even without being in the building, he could hear the voice of Commander Holland.

"Contact with Visegrad Relay was lost last night." The unnamed Spartan watched Fox walk closer to the building with a sharp eye. "All signals flat-lined at twenty-six hundred hours. I responded with Trooper fire teams which have since been declared MIA."

"And now you're sending us." A firm voice in blue Mljolnir Mark V armor with a COMMANDO class helmet and left shoulder pad said.

"The Office of Naval Intelligence believes deployment of a Spartan team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources...I disagree." B312 heard as he stepped into the building, watching a Spartan in gray and red armor sharped a Kukiri knife on the titanium plating of his right arm; a toothless skull carved into the visor of his EVA helmet. He moved to step forward, but was blocked by a gray robotic arm belonging to a woman with tanned skin and short, dark hair and a scar going down the left side of her head from her hairline to her left eyebrow.

"Commander?" She said with an accent of some kind, making the figure in blue armor turn around and a gigantic-easily seven foot figure in yellowish armor that had been designed for explosive disposal with a GRENADIER helmet by his side and GRNADIER shoulder plates and knee plates. A scar went down the right side of his face; going through his right eye-yet it didn't impair his vision. Stubble of a beard and mustache went across the giant's face as he stared at B312.

"So that's our new number Six." The giant said with a deep rumbling voice.

"Kat." The man in the EVA helmet said with a rough voice, "You read his file?"

"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink." The only woman in the building replied; revealing her name to be Kat. Her right arm was obviously a replacement to having lost her real one in battle. B312 said nothing about the casual mention of his file; he had worked personally with the Office of Naval Intelligence since he became a Spartan; four years ago. His missions were top secret and of very sensitive nature-but occasionally he was "rented" to other sections; such as the Spartan Headhunter Division. That last mission with said "Headhunters" was how he got his Hyper Lethal danger vector.

The "commander" of the Spartan team turned back to the screen where Commander Holland was talking.

"Anyone claim responsibility, sir?" He asked.

"ONI thinks it might be the local insurrection." This made B312 eager; making Insurrection groups "disappear" was his specialty. "Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony-hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears and then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that Relay back on-line Noble One."

"Sir. Consider it done." Noble one said as the others who had taken their helmets off put them back on.

"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out." With that, the transmission feed ended.

"Lieutenant." Noble One said sharply while he held his COMMANDO helmet under his arm.

"Commander, Sir." B312 greeted back.

"I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader." Carter said, "That's Kat, Noble Two, Emile and Jorge Four and Five." He pointed out the Spartans as he talked about them. "You're riding with me Noble Six." With that, Carter moved to the exit as he put his helmet on and B312 moved to follow him. Once they were outside the building, Emile, Kat, and Jorge got into the same Falcon as Carter spoke to him once more.

"Not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength." Carter and Fox got into the Falcon where the sniper he saw earlier was waiting in a seat. "Just one thing..." Carter said, motioning for the Falcon with the other half of Noble to launch. "I've seen your file, even the parts the ONI sensors didn't want me to see, Lieutenant McCloud. I'm glad to have your skill set...but we're a _team_. That lone-wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?"

"Got it, sir." Fox said, glad his helmet prevented his frustrated gaze from being seen. He felt better when working alone; he couldn't get hurt by others. As the Falcon took off into the air, he heard the sniper speak up in an accented voice.

"Welcome to Reach."

* * *

B312 just sat in silence as he reflected on the four years of his Spartan lifestyle. Love...humans made songs about its power, but also had at least as many about Love hurting them. Fox once cherished Love; his friends...Krystal...

Fox McCloud had been weak.

Thanks to...her...he now knew better. Love was a liability; an obstacle. It caused irrational decisions and affected humanity's fight for survival. Once, he thought he could be loved again. Back on a quick vacation granted by the Office of Naval Intelligence after a tough mission to a vacation planet Sigma 6; as some marines put it; "Nothing but beaches and college girls". Once humans got past the fact he was an alien, he had a couple girls gushing over him-how "cute" he looked, slipping their numbers into his pockets. He later saw them drunk and doing the same kind of flirting to other guys. In their place, he saw Krystal.

He promptly went to a nearby resort, tossed the numbers into a fireplace, and ended his vacation early.

ONI loved how he was so "dedicated" to serving, so they also accepted his major request that would help them hide his existence from others; they erased his name. Fox McCloud ceased to exists; and Lieutenant Spartan B312 came into existence to replace him. Hardening his own heart served him well; once he came across an Insurrectionist with the same eye color as...her...

And B312 had no trouble stabbing his knife into her throat and dumping her body into an ocean.

The Galaxy never cared for Fox McCloud; it only took from him what it needed. Now, all that pain had rebuilt him. The life of Fox McCloud was over; giving birth to Spartan B312.

"Lieutenant, are you there?" Kat said, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, lost in thought." B312.

"Was it about your...past?" Carter asked, and B312 quickly turned to look at him, "I told you I read what the ONI censors didn't want me too; the entire team did."

B312 said nothing, just glancing out at the other Falcon.

"Don't worry 'bout that Bitch." Emile said, skull engraved helmet looking at him; "I owe you after that Headhunter job."

"So it was you!" B312 said, "I thought you looked familiar."

"Yeah, it was me." Emile said with a small chuckle, "You're part of this rag-tag, fucked up family now."

There was a few more minutes of silence as the Falcons flew around a mountain.

"Listen up, Noble Team." Carter said, bringing everyone's attention to him, "We're looking at a downed relay outpost fifty clicks from Visegrad. We're gonna introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, and then Kat's gonna get it back online."

"Just get me under the hood, Commander." Kat said.

"Sir" Jorge asked, "Why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?"

"You get a chance, maybe you can ask 'em, Jorge." Carter replied. After a few seconds, Kat spoke up.

"Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ." She said.

"Backup channels?" Carter asked as Kat looked over a data-pad.

"Searching...Nada. Can't say what's jamming us." Kat replied.

"You heard her, dead zone confirmed." Carter said, "Command will not be keeping us company this trip."

"I'm lonely already." Emile sassed. After arriving near a farm, B312 looked outside as Carter gave directions to the pilot and told them to stay focused. A marker appeared on his visor marking the spot the distress signal was coming from.

"Could be the missing troopers." Carter said. The Falcons landed outside the farm. "Jun I want your eyes in the sky."

"Sir." The sniper next to B312 said in agreement.

"Let's go, Six." Carter said, as he and Fox leaped out of the Falcon with Emile, Kat, and Jorge jumping out of the other one. They quickly moved down the hill, nothing showing up on the motion sensors as he arrived to a cluster of buildings with the burning remains of a M12 LRV Warthog and the beacon coming from under the rubble. Human blood had been splattered across the ground.

Yet, for all the destruction, there wasn't a single bullet casing or explosive residue in the area. Something wasn't adding up...and Fox suddenly had a suspicion that it wasn't the Rebels that took out the relay outpost...but something far, far worse.


End file.
